Blogs from Armenia, Asia

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Asia » Armenia October 27th 2023

“Nowadays, to climb Mount Ararat” – “OUR mountain,” she didn’t need to say; it’s on the Armenian national emblem – “we have to drive through Georgia and ask Turkey for permission!” Anna sat down, the acid in her words almost palpable around the tour bus. The border with Turkey has remained closed for over a hundred years. Earlier she’d pointed to the current border, a barbed-wire lined road below us, the no-man’s land beyond farmed by Armenians with special permission. “You see those houses over there? They’re in Turkey. They belong to Kurds. They used to belong to Armenian people. Until the genocide. Then the Turkish government gave them to the Kurds.” The genocide is understandably an open wound here, the more painful because of the international community’s failure comprehensively to recognise the extermination and deportation ... read more
the Armenian empire at its most extensive
the NDA's protest in Freedom Square
"We Are Our Mountains" - Artsakh

Asia » Armenia » West » Yerevan September 29th 2023

Day 23 Yerevan Armenia It’s our last full day in Armenia. Our objective today is to get inside the National Museum of Art and National History Museum, both within the same building on Republic Square. Last time we went on a Monday when it was closed, but on a Thursday we should have success. We arrive on foot and enter the front door. First ticket seller, ‘The museum is closed’. ‘No flash please’. We don’t understand, we lazily expect to have more information (in English) having acquired little or no Armenian language. She turns to her colleague who says ‘The museum is closed’. ‘No flash today’. We still haven’t understood........... but there are no lights on ............ ‘flash’ is meaning lighting / electricity. It’s the same problem we had at our first visit to the Saryan ... read more
Seascape Storm
Red Sail at Brittany
Baguette a d Co bread display

Asia » Armenia » West » Yerevan September 28th 2023

Day 22 Road Trip Udabno to Yerevan. Georgia v Armenia Today we successfully returned our hire car after a hassle tree trip from Udabno to Tblisi. We found a big challenge in finding a way off the central dual carriage-way into Kote Afkhazi St, where the car compound was. We completed three circuits of tunnels and bridges with the sat nav talking gobbledegook most of the time. A simple 5 minute procedure turned into 25 minutes of exasperation. But we got there in the end. The Hertz man behind the desk was particularly charming, calm and helpful. He reminded me of friend Paul Susans in looks and temperament. The minibus back to Yerevan tackled the hairpins of Debed Canyon with an automatic gearbox: a fourteen seater Mercedes with seat belts and a driver who took only ... read more
Marshrutka
Yaras Wine
Graffiti Tblisi

Asia » Armenia » East September 18th 2023

Day 12 Armenia. 900 Khachkars of Noratus, and Hayravank Monastery Noratus, a village south west of where we’re staying at Sevan Lake, is a town known to exist in the Mediaeval period, but a fort by it is Bronze Age makes it likely to be one of the longest established settlements in Armenia. We’re here to see 900 Khachkars from Mediaeval times (and after), all in one site next to the huge, present day cemetery. Khachkars are said in pre Christian times to be stones marking springs and water sources, perhaps erected to please water gods. From 9thC onwards they were adopted as a form of Christian monument, worship in stone. These Noratus stones are nearly all clones, as far as I can see: they carry pretty much the same image of an Armenian Cross and ... read more
Noratus Khackars
Hip picker
Hayravank Monastery

Asia » Armenia » North » Alaverdi September 18th 2023

I Day 13 Armenia. Debed Canyon, Monasteries, Mikoyans and MiG 21s, and Fidel Castro. It’s a two hour drive from Lake Sevan to Alaverdi, the Debed Canyon. We savour our homely breakfast at the Lavash Teahouse. The selection this morning is omelette, frankfurters in a spicy gravy, pasta, dill salad (Marion’s favourite), tomato and cucumber salad, semolina, yoghurt, figs, stewed grapes and berries, quince in syrup, prunes, cake and bread. Lots of Germans in the restaurant this morning on a coach tour. It’s been a pleasant friendly place. A hardworking team of men run the catering, a harder working and smaller team of women do the laundering and bedroom changeovers. An ever hungry posse of good natured dogs hang about and try to scrounge food. We didn’t see a single cat in Armenia until six or ... read more
Debed Canyon
Sanahin Monastery Shaft of Light
MiG 21 Mikoyans Museum

Asia » Armenia » East » Sevan September 18th 2023

Hotel Lavash by Lake Sevan was a great place to stay. The lake lapped at pebbles on the little beaches, bulrushes waved gracefully in the breeze, swarms of tiny dark fishes seethed around the stems of the rushes and coots, rails, cormorants and a little grebe pottered everywhere. Also the centrepiece of the complex was an Armenian restaurant with a huge menu of local dishes. I particularly enjoyed the horse sorrel and lentil soup, the barbecued mushroom and a fine salad of cabbage, carrot and onion laced with dill pickle. Also good was the breakfast porridge with conserved berries various and the omelettes. We sketched and pottered off in the car to visit some sights. But generally just took it easy and enjoyed the place. Today we moved on to the Debed Canyon to stay in ... read more
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Asia » Armenia » East » Sevan September 17th 2023

Day 11 Armenia Hanging Out at Lake Sevan When we first arrived at our hotel / chalet accommodation last night I felt a little deflated. We’ve booked for three nights here, and the quiet remoteness of Nature Rooms has set a high standard. Driving is such a challenge in Armenia when you are used to consistent road surfaces and the Highway Code. Here, a smooth bit of tarmac for 20kms can change, without warning, into a deeply gouged mud bath where other drivers are still trying to overtake you ...... as on coming traffic is doing the same. And our Lavash Tearooms accommodation is only 50m from the main Yerevan Highway, so the traffic noise is a constant reminder that we’ll be out on another road trip adventure soon. But this morning I feel a change ... read more
Painting by the lake
Pomegranate Man
Sevanank Ancient Churches

Asia » Armenia » East September 16th 2023

Day 10 Armenia. Birds and the Bees, Corn and Fast Fish It’s a new morning in our lodge, high up in the mountains near Martuni. We breakfast outside on the balcony in the sun. It’s a circular terrace so you can always find sun or shade. We eat Lavash, Armenian flat bread, and home made raspberry jam with coffee brewed from very finely ground coffee. The view is down the valley of the Getik River, hills forested on the south west slopes and opposite pasture almost bare, with sheep, cattle and hay fields cultivated to an amazing height up to 2500m. We go for a walk up a muddy track where we’ve seen 4x4 Lada jeeps ascend followed by sheep/cattle dogs. There are Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and Chaffinch in earshot. Wild flowers ... read more
Sketchbook today
Nature Rooms nestling
Sevan Lake view from our window

Asia » Armenia » East » Sevan September 16th 2023

The eco house was charming, set on a hillside up a long, winding, steep and very dodgy dirt track. There were wonderful views over the Diljan valley and I was able to wander happily in the meadowland surrounding the house, finding blue chicory, lemon yellow mallows and scabious, yellow rattle,knapweed and orange fritillarybutterflies. The owner lives ina house below and told us she is a trained teacher but works for the community...runs art activities for children Ithink. In the afternoon we drove to our next stop, Lavash hotel on the shores of Lake Sevan. It consists of terraced sets of bungalows with verandahs, a bar, a restaurant, and other rooms overlooking the lake - and what a lake. It goes on forever. Blue, blue water in the sunshine. Great clumps of swaying reeds by the shore ... read more
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Asia » Armenia » East September 15th 2023

Today we drive out of the mists of Goris to A farm in the North Eastern mountains. We leave Goris with a full tank, costing about £44 for 38 litres of 95 octane petrol. We retrace the Yerevan Highway, still under cloud, past the Tavet turn off and through the police arch where lorries were queuing two days ago. No hold up today and we notice a sign saying Weight Check, so that must be the reason for the disruption. We enter the green zone of the Wine Route with fruit trees and vines but soon hit new territory turning right for Martuni, at the southern end of Lake Sevan. The Selim mountain pass (over 2400 meters) crosses the Vardenis mountains range and connects Yeghegnadzor, capital of Vayots Dzor province with Martuni, on Sevan Lake. There ... read more
Top of the pass looking to where we’ve climbed
Caravanserai Lodge
Top of the pass looking to Lake Saven




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